HIGHER EDUCATION IN

FACTS AND FIGURES2016

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16

22% of 18-year-olds from the areas of lowest higher education participation in

England have applied to university in 2016 as compared

to 12% ten years ago.

13% of undergraduate students, 38% of postgraduate students and 28% of academic staff are

from outside the UK.

In 2015, the unemployment rate of graduates was

half that of non-graduates (3.1% versus 6.4%).

In 2014–15, £1.25 billion worth of income for

institutions came from collaborative research.

16% of research and development funding received by UK universities in 2014–15 came from overseas sources – the majority (£0.8 billion)

from within the EU.

For further information: Tel: +44 (0)20 7419 4111

Visit: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk Email: info@universitiesuk.ac.uk

HIGHLIGHTS

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STUDENTS

Students at higher education providers in the UK by country of provider, 2013–14 to 2014–15 5

18-year-old application rates to full-time first degree study in the UK, 2006 to 2016 6

Application rates to full-time first degree study for the most disadvantaged 18-year-olds, 2006 to 2016 7

Full-time and part-time higher education students by level of study at UK higher education providers, 2014–15 8

Higher education students by domicile and level of study, 2014–15 9

Students by subject area at UK higher education providers, 2014–15 10

Qualifications obtained by subject area, 2014–15 11

Home country of international students at UK higher education providers, 2014–15 12

Home country of European Economic Area students at UK higher education providers, 2014–15 13

Income from non-EU domiciled students and non-EU domiciled student numbers, 2003–04 to 2014–15 14

National Student Survey, 2008 to 2016 15

Qualifications awarded at UK higher education providers, 2014–15 16

Destinations of leavers by level of qualification, 2014–15 17

Unemployment rates and median salaries in the UK by group (2015) 18

STAFF

Staff by nationality and contract level, 2014–15 19

Academic staff in UK higher education providers by nationality and sex, 2014–15 20

Staff salaries at UK higher education providers, 2014–15 21

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FINANCE

Public expenditure on higher education as a percentage of GDP (2012) 22

Income and size of UK higher education providers, 2013–14 and 2014–15 23

Income and expenditure of UK higher education providers, 2014–15 24

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Knowledge exchange income by type of activity for higher education providers, 2005–06 to 2014–15 25

Research and development funding received by UK higher education providers, 2014–15 26

Government-financed gross domestic expenditure on research and development as a proportion of GDP, 2007 to 2014 27

ANNEXE

Glossary 28

Sources 30

5

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den

ts

-1.6%

0.1%

-3.0%

0.8%

232,570 TOTAL +2.4% FULL-TIME-3.8% PART-TIME19 PROVIDERS

Scotland

1,844,095 TOTAL -0.1% FULL-TIME-6.1% PART-TIME131 PROVIDERS

Wales

132,965 TOTAL -2.3% FULL-TIME

-4.6% PART-TIME10 PROVIDERS

Northern Ireland

56,445 TOTAL +2.1% FULL-TIME -3.8% PART-TIME

5 PROVIDERS

England

STUDENTS AT HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS IN THE UK BY COUNTRY OF PROVIDER, 2013–14 TO 2014–15

In 2014 there was a continuing decrease in part-time students in all four UK nations, while there were small decreases in numbers of full-time students at English and Welsh providers.

6

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18-YEAR-OLD APPLICATION RATES TO FULL-TIME FIRST DEGREE STUDY IN THE UK, 2006 TO 2016

18-year-olds in all UK nations are more likely than ever to apply to university.

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 20162015

Northern Ireland England Scotland Wales

Year

App

lica

tion

rat

e (%

)

48%

37%

33%

32%

7

Stu

den

ts

APPLICATION RATES TO FULL-TIME FIRST DEGREE STUDY FOR THE MOST DISADVANTAGED 18-YEAR-OLDS, 2006 TO 2016

18-year-olds from the areas of lowest higher education participation from England, Wales and Scotland have never been more likely to apply to university.

Northern Ireland England Scotland Wales

App

lica

tion

rat

e (%

)

App

lica

tion

rat

e (%

)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

0

5

10

15

2024%

22%

20%

16%

POLAR3 method is used for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while SIMD is used for Scotland. Therefore, they are not directly comparable. Application rates reported for Scotland are lower, as a substantial section of Scottish providers do not use UCAS.

8

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FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS BY LEVEL OF STUDY AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15

Part-time students make up about a quarter of all postgraduate research students, a fifth of all undergraduate students, and half of all postgraduate taught students.

Postgraduate research

112,910

Postgraduate taught425,270

Undergraduate1,727,895

Full-time Part-time

52.1%

47.9%

25.9%

74.1%

25.1%

74.9%

19.5%

80.5%

Total 2,266,075

9

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HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS BY DOMICILE AND LEVEL OF STUDY, 2014–15

13% of undergraduate students and 38% of postgraduate students are from outside the UK.

0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000

Undergraduate

Postgraduate taught

Postgraduate research

UK EU Non-EU

1,495,750153,745

269,070

64,37531,360

78,345

124,610

14,870

33,655

10

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STUDENTS BY SUBJECT AREA AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15

The most popular subjects for male undergraduate students are business, engineering and biological sciences, and for female undergraduate students are health allied subjects, business and biological sciences.

Undergraduate female Undergraduate male Postgraduate female Postgraduate male

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

Health

allie

d su

bjects

Biolo

gical

scien

ces

Socia

l stu

dies

Educ

ation

Arts and

des

ign

Engin

eerin

g

Lang

uage

s

Phys

ical s

cienc

es

Compu

ting

Law

Histor

y

Med

icine

& den

tistry

Combin

ed sub

jects

Mas

s co

mmun

icatio

n

Arch

itectur

e

Mat

hemat

ics

Agric

ultur

e & ve

t scie

nces

Busin

ess

11

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QUALIFICATIONS OBTAINED BY SUBJECT AREA, 2014–15

In 2014–15, the subject areas where a high percentage of postgraduate qualifications were obtained include education (57%), business (47%), medicine and dentistry (45%), and architecture (43%).

First degree Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Foundation degree

Other undergraduate qualifications (incl HND) Postgraduate Certificate in Education

Other postgraduate qualifications Other higher degree Doctorate

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Business & administrative studiesSubjects allied to medicine

EducationSocial studies

Biological sciencesCreative arts & design

Engineering & technologyLanguages

LawPhysical sciences

Computer sciencesHistorical & philosophical studies

Medicine & dentistryMass communications & documentation

Architecture, building & planningMathematical sciences

Agriculture & related subjectsVeterinary sciences

12

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-0.6%2,565

3.7%

1.0%27,610

-0.1%35,070

-0.6%124,575

-7.2%18,320

2.0%19,920

12.9%5,995

North America

South America

EU

Other Europe

Australasia

-0.5%84,460

Rest ofAsia

1.9%89,540

China

India

Africa Middle East

% of total non-UK domiciled students at UK HEPs% change from last yearTotal students 2014–15

Legend

4.2%

6.3%

1.4%

8.0%

6.5%

4.5%

20.5%

19.3%

0.6%

up to 1%1–5%5–10%10–20%20–30%

28,525

28.5%

4.6%

HOME COUNTRY OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15

Students from Europe accounted for 33% of all international students, while 20.5% were from China and 4.2% from India. Between 2013–14 and 2014–15 there was a decrease in the number of students from India by 7.2%, and an increase from South America by 12.9%.

13

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HOME COUNTRY OF EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA (EEA) STUDENTS AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15

In 2014–15 there were 133,485 students from the EEA studying in UK universities, equating to 5.9% of the entire student body.

Country 2014–15% change from

2013–14 to 2014–15Country 2014–15

% change from 2013–14 to 2014–15

Germany 13,675 -2.7% Portugal 2,730 7.9%

France 11,955 4.0% Finland 1,895 0.5%

Ireland 10,905 -5.1% Austria 1,880 5.3%

Italy 10,525 10.2% Hungary 1,685 15.0%

Greece 10,130 -5.1% Latvia 1,530 -16.8%

Cyprus (EU) 9,745 -5.3% Slovakia 1,415 0.7%

Spain 7,040 6.9% Czech Republic 1,405 6.8%

Romania 6,590 1.2% Denmark 1,360 -4.6%

Bulgaria 6,255 -1.6% Luxembourg 1,100 2.8%

Norway 5,475 4.9% Estonia 1,075 -8.5%

Poland 5,245 0.9% Malta 895 -8.7%

Lithuania 4,340 -10.8% Slovenia 370 2.8%

Netherlands 3,390 1.5% Croatia 355 39.2%

Switzerland 3,190 2.9% Iceland 225 7.1%

Sweden 3,095 -4.2% Liechtenstein 20 33.3%

Belgium 2,925 0.9%

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INCOME FROM NON-EU DOMICILED STUDENTS AND NON-EU DOMICILED STUDENT NUMBERS, 2003–04 TO 2014–15

Higher education providers received £4.2 billion in tuition fees from 312,000 registered international students in 2014–15.

2007–08

2008–09

2009–10

2010–11

2011–12

2012–13

2013–14

2014–15

Real tuition fee income from non-EU students (£bn) Total non-EU domiciled students

Rea

l tu

itio

n fe

e in

com

e fr

om n

on-E

U s

tud

ents

(£

bn)

Tot

al n

on-E

U d

omic

iled

stu

den

ts

Year

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

Note: Base year 2014–15 prices.

15

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NATIONAL STUDENT SURVEY, 2008 TO 2016

Overall student satisfaction at UK providers has remained at a record level of 86% since 2014, an increase of four percentage points compared to 2008. In 2016, satisfaction with teaching on the course was 87%, assessment and feedback 74%, and academic support 82%. Satisfaction with academic support has increased by eight percentage points since 2008.

Lev

el o

f sa

tisf

act

ion

(%

)

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

The teaching on my course Overall satisfaction Learning resources

Academic support Assessment and feedback

16

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QUALIFICATIONS AWARDED AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15

53% of all qualifications awarded in 2014–15 were for undergraduate first degrees, 12% were for other types of undergraduate degrees, and 35% were for postgraduate degrees.

Undergraduate Postgraduate

First degree Other undergraduate

Foundation degree

Postgraduatetaught

PGCE Postgraduate research

Full-time

Modeof study

Part-time

Total

% oftotal

395,580

37,225

358,355

70,950

32,040

38,910

16,875

6,515

10,365

213,650

70,155

143,495

21,310

1,055

20,255

26,640

22,015

4,625

53.1% 9.5% 2.3% 28.7% 2.9% 3.6%

17

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DESTINATIONS OF LEAVERS BY LEVEL OF QUALIFICATION, 2014–15

Six months after graduation, 92% of postgraduates and other undergraduates, and 89% of first degree students were working or pursuing further study.

0 20 40 60 80 100

Postgraduate

First degree

Other undergraduate

Work Work and study Study Unemployed and looking for work Other

81.6% 4.3% 6.2% 3.6%

5.7%4.9%14.0%5.1%70.3%

3.9%4.2%22.7%12.9%56.3%

4.3%

18

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UNEMPLOYMENT RATES AND MEDIAN SALARIES IN THE UK BY GROUP (2015)

In 2015, the unemployment rate of graduates was half that of non-graduates. The median salary for graduates was a third higher than for non-graduates among those aged 21–30, and 43% higher for those aged 16–64.

Young unemployment rate (21–30 year olds) Unemployment rate (16–64 year olds)

GraduatePostgraduate Non-graduate

Median salary (16–64 year olds) Young median salary (21–30 year olds)

Une

mpl

oym

ent r

ates

(%

)

Med

ian

sala

ry (

£)

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

20%

19

Sta

ff

STAFF BY NATIONALITY AND CONTRACT LEVEL, 2014–15

EU and international staff make up 7% of senior management, and 25% of senior lecturers, professionals and researchers.

UK EEAOther non-European Union countries

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Senior

lectu

rers

Senior

man

agem

ent

Profes

sors

Admin st

aff

Task

providers

Team

lead

ers

76.3%

10.1%

13.6%

79.5%

8.4%

12.1%

90.9%3.5%

5.6%

85.8%6.1%8.1%

82.1%7.1%

10.7%92.9%

3.0%

4.1%

Note: Each column contains a number of job titles, which can be found in the online version of this publication.

20

Sta

ff

ACADEMIC STAFF IN UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS BY NATIONALITY AND SEX, 2014–15

16% of academic staff at UK higher education providers are from EU countries, while 12% are from non-EU countries, and 72% are from the UK.

32%

39%

8%

9%

5%

7%

Female UK staff

Male UK staff

Female EU staff

Male EU staff

Female non-EU staff

Male non-EU staff

21

Sta

ff

STAFF SALARIES AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15

54% of the total higher education workforce is female, and accounts for two thirds of those earning under £24,057 per annum. In contrast, men make up 46% of the total higher education workforce and account for 70% of those earning over £58,172 per annum.

Staf

f

Percentage of employeesfrom total

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

Up to

£18

,031

£18,

031

to £

24,0

57

£24,

057

to £

32,2

77

£32,

277

to £

43,3

25

£43,

325

to £

58,1

72

£58,

172+

Male non-academic Male academic Female non-academic Female academic

32%27%

22%19%

22

Fin

an

ce Country Total expenditure in %

Finland 1.78Austria 1.74Norway 1.58Sweden 1.51Canada 1.47United States 1.41Estonia 1.41Belgium 1.40Netherlands 1.37France 1.26Switzerland 1.24Germany 1.22Slovenia 1.22Turkey 1.21New Zealand 1.21Czech Republic 1.20United Kingdom 1.20Poland 1.18Iceland 1.06

Country Total expenditure in %

Chile 1.04Latvia 1.03Ireland 1.03Spain 1.01Mexico 0.97Slovak Republic 0.96Portugal 0.93Brazil 0.93Colombia 0.93Israel 0.92Russian Federation 0.89Australia 0.88Korea 0.84Italy 0.80Hungary 0.80South Africa 0.67Indonesia 0.55Japan 0.53Luxembourg 0.45

PUBLIC EXPENDITURE ON HIGHER EDUCATION AS A PERCENTAGE OF GDP (2012)

In 2012 the UK’s public spending on higher education was 1.2% of total GDP – a lower proportion than many competitor countries including the United States, Canada, Finland, France and Germany.

23

Fin

an

ce

INCOME AND SIZE OF UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2013–14 AND 2014–15

One third of all UK higher education providers have an annual income of up to £100m, and two thirds of providers have an annual income above £100m.

Inco

me

(£)

Num

ber

of s

tude

nts

Total income 2013–14

Total income 2014–15

Number of students 2013–14

Number of students 2014–15

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40

More than £1bn

£500–1000m

£200–500m

£100–200m

£50–100m

£20–50m

£10–20m

Less than £10m

50,000 to 200,000

30,000 to 50,000

25,000 to 30,000

20,000 to 25,000

15,000 to 20,000

10,000 to 15,000

5,000 to 10,000

1,000 to 5,000

Less than 1,000

24

Fin

an

ce

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15

In total, tuition fees made up 44% of provider income. Within that 44%, the highest proportion came from full-time UK and EU students.

10% 6% 1%

55%38%

44%

16%

8%

1%

21%

Staff costs Other operating expenses

Depreciation Interest and otherfinance costs

Teaching – UK government Teaching – fees

Research – UK government Research – other

Endowment Other income

Total expenditure £31.2 billionTotal income £33.2 billion

25

Resea

rch a

nd

inn

ovation

Income from collaborative research Contract research Consultancy contracts

Facilities and equipment related servicesCourses for businesses and the community

Intellectual property revenues Regeneration and development programmes

Inco

me

(₤)

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

2013–14 2014–152011–12 2012–132009–10 2010–112007–08 2008–092005–06 2006–07

KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE INCOME BY TYPE OF ACTIVITY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2005–06 TO 2014–15

In 2014–15, income from collaborative research accounted for 30% of the sources of income shown below.

26

Resea

rch a

nd

inn

ovation

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDING RECEIVED BY UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15

16% of research and development funding received by UK providers came from overseas sources – the majority (68%) from within the EU.

UK business

UK government*

UK charities

EU sources

Non-EU sources

Other sources

66%

4%

13%

11%

5%1%

Research funding from

EU sources increased by

Research funding from

non-EU sources increased by

5.9%from 2013–14. in the same period.

3.6%

*Note: UK government includes RDEC funding, a one-off funding amount, which therefore increases research and total income for 2014–15 only. For more information please see the glossary and online version of this publication.

27

Resea

rch a

nd

inn

ovation

GOVERNMENT-FINANCED GROSS DOMESTIC EXPENDITURE ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AS A PROPORTION OF GDP, 2007 TO 2014

UK government spending on research and development is consistently below the OECD average as a proportion of GDP.

0%

0.1%

0.2%

0.3%

0.4%

0.5%

0.6%

0.7%

0.8%

0.9%

1.0%

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

United Kingdom United States Germany France OECD

EU28 Japan Canada Italy China

Year

Gov

t-fi

nanc

ed G

ER

D a

s %

of G

DP

28

An

nexe

GLOSSARY

Application rateThe number of applicants divided by the estimated base population.

DLHEThe Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing six months after graduation. About three quarters of leavers complete the survey.

DomicileA student’s permanent country of residence.

EEAThe European Economic Area (EEA) is the 28 EU countries plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Entry rateThe number of acceptances for entry to start higher education divided by the estimated base population.

First degreeA three- or four-year undergraduate higher education course taken after finishing further education, generally resulting in a bachelor’s degree.

GDPGross domestic product: monetary measure of the value of all final goods and services produced in a period.

GERDGross Domestic Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) is the total spending on research and development performed within a country during a given period.

HE-BCIHigher Education-Business and Community Interaction Survey.

HEFCEThe Higher Education Funding Council for England funds and regulates universities and colleges in England.

29

An

nexe

HEPHigher education provider. This publication covers organisations that deliver higher education and receive government funding, plus The University of Buckingham. It excludes alternative providers and further education colleges.

HESAHigher Education Statistics Agency

Mode of studyWhether a student studies full or part-time.

NSSNational Student Survey

OECDOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Other undergraduateUndergraduate degrees which are not first degrees, including foundation degrees and Higher National Diplomas.

POLAR3Participation of Local Areas (POLAR) is a widening participation measure which classifies local areas or ‘wards’ into five groups, based on the proportion of 18-year-olds who enter higher education aged 18 or 19 years old. These groups range from quintile 1 areas, with the lowest young participation (most disadvantaged), up to quintile 5 areas with the highest rates (most advantaged).

RDECResearch and Development Expenditure Credit

SIMDScottish index of multiple deprivation. SIMD ranks small geographical areas in Scotland by their relative level of deprivation across a range of measures. Data used in this publication refers to 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged SIMD quintile.

30

An

nexe

SOURCES

P.5 HESA Student Record [2014–15]*

P.6 UCAS, 2016

P.7 UCAS, 2016

P.8 HESA Student Record [2014–15]*

P.9 HESA Student Record [2014–15]*

P.10 HESA Student Record [2014–15]*

P.11 HESA Student Record [2014–15]*

P.12 HESA Student Record [2014–15]*

P.13 HESA Student Record [2014-15]*

P.14 HESA Finance and Student Record (multiple years) and BIS GDP deflators series, 2016

P.15 National Student Survey (NSS), 2016

P.16 HESA (2016) Statistical First Release 224

P.17 HESA Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) [2014–15]*

P.18 BIS (2016) Graduate Labour Statistics

P.19 HESA Staff Record [2014–15]*

P.20 HESA Staff Record [2014–15]*

p.21 HESA Staff Record [2014–15]*

p.22 OECD Education at a Glance (2015)

p.23 HESA Finance Record and Student Record [multiple years]

p.24 HESA Finance Record [2014–15]*

p.25 HESA HE-BCI Record [2014–15]*

p.26 HESA Finance Record [2014–15]*

p.27 OECD (2016) Main Science and Technology Indicators

*Copyright Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited

All data and further information on sources can be found on our website:www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/facts-and-figures

Neither the Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited nor HESA Services Limited can accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived by third parties from data or other information obtained from Heidi Plus.

UNIVERSITIES UK

Universities UK is the representative organisation for the UK’s universities. Founded in 1918, our mission is to be the voice of universities in the UK, providing high quality leadership and support to our members to promote a successful and diverse higher education sector. With 135 members and offices in London, Cardiff (Universities Wales) and Edinburgh (Universities Scotland), we promote the strength and success of UK universities nationally and internationally.

Woburn House, 20 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9HQ

Tel: +44 (0)20 7419 4111 Email: info@universitiesuk.ac.uk Web: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk Twitter: @UniversitiesUK

ISBN 978-1-84036-364-7 August 2016